Hand tacking-tool



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'HAND TAOKING TOOL.

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HAND TAOKING TOOL.

No. 576,823. i Patented Feb. 9, 1897.

WITNESS-E5- 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

Y Patented Feb. 9, 1897.

(No Modelf A. F. PRESTON. HAND TAGKING TOOL; No. 576,823.

NVE/WDR- ww WM Nrrnn STATES ATnNr Fries.

ALBERT F. PRESTON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE B TSELLLASTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

HAND TAcKlNc-Tool..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 576,823, dated February9, 1897.

Applicationtlled April 14, 1896. Serial No. 587,523. (No model.) i

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. PRESTON, of Boston, in the county ofSutfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Hand Tacking- Tools, of which the following is adescription sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable those skilledin the art to which it appertains or with which it is most nearlyconnected to ro make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide a hand tacking-tool by meansof which the upper may be grasped and drawn taut over the last and tacksmay be driven through the up- [5 per into the insole, which tool shallbe constructed in such way as to be most highly efficient for thepurposes mentioned and at the same time be possessed of the smallestnumber of parts, so as to be simple and com- 2o pact.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool of the characterdescribed in which the tacks are fed to the driver and are driven intothe upper one by one without the em- 2 5 ployment or intervention of aseparator therefor, while still another object is to arrange the partsof the tool in such way that the tack shall be presented squarely to anddriven properly in the material.

The manner in whichI attain the objects of my invention and in what theinvention consists will be hereinafter fully described and pointed out.

Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings, and to the letters andfigures marked thereon, forming a part of this specification, thesame'letters and gnres designating the same parts or features, as thecase may be, wherever they occur.A

Of the drawings, Figure lis a side elevation of my improvedtacking-tool. Fig. 2 isa vertical sectional view of the same with theparts in their normal positions and with one tack ready to be driven.Fig. 3 is a similar section (the chute being broken off) showing anupper grasped between the clamping-jaws and the driver as having forcedthe tack home. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the lower end of thechute andthe tack-guide. Fig. 5 is a 5o cross-section on the line 5 5 ofFig. 1. Figs. 6, '7, and 8 illustrate the various positions of themovable portions of the tack-guide as the tack is drivendown ward by thedriver. Fig.

9 shows the tack-guide as being slightly modied as to the shape of themovable portions thereof. Fig. l0 shows a series of tacks as they arefed to the action of the driver, the latter being shown incross-section.

In carrying out my invention I employ a hollow standard a, in which thedriver-bar b 6o reciprocates. The said bar is provided with an annularflange c, which fits snugly in the upper portion of the aperture throughthe standard, and the standard is fitted with a ferrule d, threadedthereon, which coacts with the iiange to limit the upward movement ofthe driver-bar. A spiral spring e is placed around the driver-bar andhas its ends pressing against the ferrule and the annulariiange.

To prevent the driver-bar from twisting or 7o turning, it is formed witha straight longitudinal slot f, into which a stud on the end of a screwg extends, the latter being threaded into the ferrule and the end of thestandard.

The driver 7L is set into and secured rmly 75 to the driver-bar and isof a peculiar shape in cross-section, as I shall hereinafter describe.

The lower end of the standard is provided with wings i, forming acontinuation of the chutej, which is secured to them. The chute 8o is atan acute angle to the standard, and it feeds the tacks to the driver,the lower end of the standard being provided with a vertical slot ofsufficient width to allow the tacks to pass through. The chute isprovided with two side bars, far enough apart to receive the bodies ofthe tacks, and on which the heads of the tacks will rest, as shown inFig. 2, there being a top plate la, secured above the line from themidway point of the chute to 9o their point of delivery to preservetheir positions relatively to each other. Secured to the end of thechute is a hopper Z, in which the tacks are loosely placed, and which isprovided with an escapement-orice m, through 9 5 which they drop intothe chute. Guide-walls n extend above the chute from the hopper to anov'erow-box o, secured to the said chute at a midway point between thehopper and the delivery end to guide the tacks which do rocI notproperly enter the groove inthe chute to the said box o. The upper edgesof the side bars at are serrated, so as to cause the heads of the tacksto overlap, as shown in Fig. l0. The effect of this is to present thetack at the delivery end of the chute to the action of the driver insuch way that it is free to be driven into the work.

The hopper is provided with a lid or cover p, riveted on the end of anagitating-shaft q, extending through the bottom of the hopper andthrough the chute. The spring r, having its outer end pressing againstthe nut s on the end of the shaft, serves to hold the lid or covertightly in place.

The shaft is arranged in front of the escapement-orifice and isiiattened so as to present the narrow edge thereto, in order that thetacks may not be obstructed byit. By oscillating the shaft the tackswill be agitated or shaken in such way as to cause them, in case they bejammed or matted together, to pass through the oriiice. The standard ordriver bar guide and the chute are formed of such metal as steel, whilethe overiiow-box and the hopper are preferably formed of aluminium forthe sake of lightness.

The driver 7L, hereinbefore referred to, is of a peculiar shape incross-section-that is to say, it is formed with two nat parallel sides land 2 and two curved sides 3 and 4. Practically it is crescent-shaped incross-section, as will be seen by examining Fig. l0. It is of such shapethat as it descends its coneaved side 4 will permit it to engage thelowermost tack in the chute without touching the tack behind it. This isa matter of great importance, since it enables me to dispense withseparators or detents of any kind. The tacks are placed in the hopperand travel down the chute, being carried forward by their specificgravity until one by one they are presented to the driver. As the driverdescends its crescent-shaped end presses upon the head of the lowermosttack, and in driving` it down the concaved side 4 engages the head ofthe next tack, so as to hold it in place in the chute until the driverhas risen to its uppermost position.

At the foot of the standard there is a vertical cross-aperture extendingthroughoutthe same, in which are placed the two movable portions of aguide for the tack to guide the latter from the delivery end of thechute to the work. The two halves u u consist of comparatively thinmetallic plates iittin g snugly in the cross-aperture, each beingprovided with a side iiange t, which normally rests against the sideface of the standard,as shown in Figs. l and G.

The adjacent edges of the guides are shaped as shown in Figs. 6 toS-that is to say, each edge has a straight portion a', a rentrantinclined portion b, and an outwardly-extending portion c. Then themovable parts of the guide are in their normal positions, their edgestouch at the point d. The straight portions c are parallel and are at adistance apart less than the depth of the head of the tack, while theedges b form a converging guide, into which the tack drops or moves fromthe delivery end of the chute, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4. Theparts u u are held in position and are pivoted upon the ends of a curvedspring e', as shown in the last-mentioned tigure, which passes throughapertures in the standard. Below the chute there is an aperture a? fortacks which are not properly delivered from the chute.

In employing the tacker for driving tacks into the upper the driving-barl), which is provided with a head f', is given a smart blow, with theeffect of forcing it to its lowest position. The lowermost tack havingdropped from the delivery end ot' the chute into the space between theedges b' b the crescentshaped end of the driver engages the head thereofand forces the tack downward. The said tack is maintained in itsvertical position bythe yielding pressure of the adjacent edges of themovable parts of the guide and is presented at right angles to the last.

The position that the parts assume during the passage of the tack fromthe delivery end of the chute until it is driven home is illustrated inFigs. 6, 7, and S. When the tack has been driven in as far aspossible,the spring e carries the driver-bar into its uppermostposition, and as the end of the driver 7L leaves the line of the tacksin 'the chute the next tack, which has been prevented from sliding downby the concaved side of the driver,slides down and takes its positionbetween the converging edges b' b of the movable portions of the guide.

The transverse aperture g and the vertical aperture a2 through thestandard are provided so that if a tack be not properly presented itwill drop through either of the apertures.

In Fig. 9 the movable portions of the guide are shown as having theiradjacent edges parallel through their entire length except at the upperend, where they converge, as at b.

For the manipulation of the tack and for drawing the upper taut over thelast I provide the same with a handle and with a movable jaw coactingwith a movable portion of the handle to grip the edge of the upperagainst a stationary jaw on the foot of the Stan dard The handleconsists of a vertical hollow bar g2, havin a cross-bar h' at the upperend, which is secured to the standard. The lower end of the bar g isprovided with a cross-bar t" and is connected to the lower end of thestandard by means of a screw j.

The foot of the standard is cut away, so as to provide a fixed jaw 71;',with which a movable jaw Z' on the end of a lever m cooperates. The endof the lever is slotted at a' to receive a web 0, extending from thefront of the standard beyond its end at substantially right angles tothe face of the jaw 7c.

For forcing the jaw Z up against the fixed jaw I employ toggle-levers (1and r', the former IOO IIO

being pivoted at s to the upper end of the handle and at to the leverr', and the said lever r being pivoted to the end of the lever m. Sideplates 'LL' are secured to the lever r', so as to form a smooth handlewhich can-be gripped by the hand, with the part g2 resting against thepalm of the hand and the fingers on the lever q. By pressing against thesaid lever q it may be drawn toward the bar g in such way as to coactwith lever r and force lever m down and hold the movable jaw l firmlyagainst the fixed jaw k'. It will be seen that by employing thetoggle-lever the jaws clamp the leather more tightly as the pull uponthe handle is increased.

A tension-spring 'u' is secured to the handle and to the lever r', sothat when the fingers are relaxed the parts will assume their normalpositions and the movable jaw will move away from the fixed jaw.

From the foregoing it will be observed that I have provided a simple auda handy tool for securing the upper of a shoe to the insole. In` usingit the handle is held in the left hand and the edge of the upper isgripped between the jaws and the leather is drawn taut over the last.Then with the right hand the driver is given a smart blow, with theeffect of driving a tack through the upper into the insole.

By employing the mechanism above described for grasping the edges of theupper between the two jaws I am enabled to obtain several importantresults. W'hen the upper is grasped and a pull is exerted upon the same,the hand is drawn back to draw the lower end of the handle backward,since the resistance is at the lowest end of the handle. Therefore thepressure which is exerted in my tool is accomplished by the last twoiingers of the hand at a point where I obtain the greatest amount ofleverage and in the horizontal planes of the two gripping-jaws. Byemploying the lever q, which is pivoted at its upper end to the handle,the last two fingers press against it near the lower end thereof, sothat the natural pull of the hand will effect the gripping of the jaws,whereas if the said lever were pivoted at the lower end of the handlethe pull of the ngers would be at a point of the least leverage, as willbe readily understood. Again, by employing toggle-levers such as I havedescribed I effect a rapid movement of the movable jaw, which increasesin strength as the said jaw approaches the fixed jaw, and, moreover,after the toggle-levers are inalinement, or nearly so, the edgesof theupper are grasped and locked between the jaws and do not require aconstant pulling strain upon the leversthat is to say, that after themovable part of the handle is once thrown inward by the fingers theedges of the upper are practically locked between the jaws and a firmpressure upon the said movable part is not requisite, as thetoggle-levers are practically in alinement. Whereas if I should employin lieu of the toggle-levers a fixed arm projecting upwardly from thelever m' it would be necessary to always maintain a strong pull againstthe said arm in order to grasp the lever firmly, as the said jaws wouldnever be locked together. Again, a fixed arm projecting up from thelever fm' would move in an arc about the pivot of the latter,andconsequently would have a movement which would be backward and downwardrelatively to the iixed portion of the handle, and hence in drawing thejaws together the hand would be cramped by the action of the said arm.Therefore by employing the toggle-levers which I have described I amenabled to practically lock the jaws together with the least exertionand by a pull upon the point of the greatest leverage.

The parts of the tool are very simple and are not liable to get out oforder, since if the movable portions of the tack-guide should becomeweakened they could be easily removed and replaced with new ones.4

The tack-guide may be considered as a vertically-stationary yieldingguide, since it is pivoted on the ends of the spring in such way as toyield sufficiently to allow the tack to be driven down, and at the sametime to coact with the driver to guide the tack to the upper in a lineat right angles to the same. There is no chance for the tacks to jam orbe presented in any way so as to injure the parts,

since they escape from the standard if they are not inthe properposition.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described a way ofconstructing and using the same, though without attempting to set forthall of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use,it is declared that what is claimed is 1. In a tacker, the combinationwith a driver, a driver-bar guide, means atthe end of said driver-barguide for receiving a tack through which it may be driven by thedriverbar, and an unobstructed chute for delivering the tacks one by oneto the said yielding means, of a driver for engaging the tacks anddriving them through the yielding means, said driver having a concaveside to escape the tack next the one engaged thereby.

2. In a tacker, the combination with an unobstructed chute fordelivering tacks having their heads overlapping to the action of adriver, and a yielding guide for the tacks, of a driver for driving thetacks through the yielding guide, said driver having a concave side toescape the tack next tothe one en gaged thereby.

3. In a tacker, the combination with a chute, and a guide consisting oftwo springheld plates having their inner edges adjacent to each other,of a crescent-shaped driver for engaging only one of the tacks.

4. In a tacker, a yielding guide for receiving the tacks one by onefrom' the chute and guiding them when engaged by the driver consistingof two movable plates having the IOO IIO

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upper portion of their` inner edges converging, and spring-pivots forsaid plates for the purposes described.

5. In a taeker, the combination with a driver, of a tack-guide formed oftwo plates having their inner edges adjacent, and a U- shaped Wireforming a spring, said plates being eaeh pvoted on one leg of thespring.

(5. In a taeker, the Combination with the driver-bar guide, and thedriver of a yielding tack-guide having its two movable portions lying invertical slotsin the foot of the driverbar guide, and a spring mountedin the last said guide, and havingits ends extending into the movableportion of the tack-guide and forming spring-pivots for said movable portions, substantially as set forth.

7. In a taeker, the combination with a driver, the driver-bar guide, anda iixed jaW on the foot of the said guide, of a handle secured to saidguide, a movable jaw pivoted on the handle and toggle-levers adapted tobe operated by the finger for moving the movable jaws.

S. In a taeker, the combination with a drivel', a driver-bar guide, anda fixed jaw on`the foot of said guide, of a handle secured to saidguide, a movable jaw pivoted on the handle, toggle-levers consisting ofa long bar pivoted at its upper end to the upper part of the handle, anda relatively short bar pivoted to the end of the movable jaw, said longbar extending practically the length of the handle, said parts beingarranged so that the jaws may be practically looked together, for thepurposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses, this 13th day of April, A. I).1896.

ALBER" F. PRESTON. lVitnesses:

MARCUS l. MAY, CHAs. E. TODD.

